Data sorting system

ABSTRACT

A data sorting system for multibit binary records is provided which is capable of responding to a control field in each of the records in order to sort the records into an ascending or descending progression. The sorting system to be described has the feature that it is capable of sorting a file of the aforesaid records which contains more records than the capacity of the sorting system itself. The system is controlled so that the file is repeatedly circulated therethrough until a complete sort is achieved, with the capacity of the system being reduced for each successive pass so that optimum efficiency is maintained at all times.

United States Patent UN I Inventor Appl. No, Filed Patented DATA SORTING SYSTEM 14 Claims, 40 Drawing Figs.

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Field 0! Search References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l2/l96l Armstrong U 4/l962 OConnoretal.

I v v n n i I n I Mun 11mini:mnn Mn i 3,399.38 8/l968 Armstrong 340/1725 Primary Examiner- Paul J, Henon Assistant ExaminerR. F. Chapuran Attorney--Jessup & Beecher ABSTRACT: A data sorting system for multibit binary records is provided which is capable of responding to a control field in each of the records in order to sort the records into an ascending or descending progression The sorting system to be described has the feature that it is capable of sorting a tile of the aforesaid records which contains more records than the capacity of the sorting system itself. The system is controlled so that the file is repeatedly circulated therethrough until a complete sort is achieved, with the capacity of the system being reduced for each successive pass so that optimum efficiency is maintained at all times.

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1. A system for sorting multibit binary records into a desired sequence in a plurality of passes, each of the aforesaid records containing an identifying field and a data field, said sorting system including: input terminal means to which the aforesaid binary records are successively applied in an unsorted sequence; output terminal means at which the aforesaid binary records are successively produced in a generally sorted sequence; a plurality of storage means; sorting circuitry and logic circuitry intercoupling said input terminal means, said storage means and said output terminal means; said sorting circuitry including a sorting network having a plurality of input terminals connected to the outputs of said storage means and having output terminals, said sorting network responsive to said identifying fields of the multibit binary records applied to its input terminals to cause the records to appear in a particular sequence across its output terminals, said sorting network including circuit means indicating whenever a record produced at the output of one said storage means is exchanged with the record produced at the output of another of said storage means; and control circuitry included in said logic circuitry and coupled to said circuit means in said sorting network and responsive to indications therefrom for controlling the total capacity of said storage means for each succeeding pass of the records through the system.
 2. The sorting system defined in claim 1, in which said storage means comprise a plurality of separate memories having predetermined lengths in a particular progression, and which includes further logic circuitry for controlling the switching of said memories in and out of the system; and in which said control circuitry is coupled to said further logic circuitry to control the aforesaid switching of said memories into and out of the system.
 3. The sorting system defined in claim 1, in which certain of said storage means are composed of a plurality of individual segments, and which include furthEr logic circuitry for controlling the switching of the said segments into and out of the system; and in which said control circuitry is coupled to said further logic circuitry to control the aforesaid switching of said segments into and out of the system.
 4. The system defined in claim 1, in which two of said storage means each has a capacity to store one of said records only, and the others of said storage means have respective capacities to store different numbers of said records in a predetermined progression of 21, 22, 23, 24...2n.
 5. The system defined in claim 1, in which said storage means comprises a plurality of memory elements, certain of said memory elements being shift registers.
 6. The system defined in claim 5, in which other of said memory elements comprises a separate memory unit.
 7. The system defined in claim 6, in which said last named separate memory unit comprises a movable magnetic memory member having individual tracks thereon constituting said other memory elements.
 8. The system of claim 1 in which said storage means comprises a plurality of memory elements, a first group of said memory elements being included in the aforesaid logic circuitry and the other of said memory elements being incorporated into a separate memory unit.
 9. The combination defined in claim 8, in which said first group of memory elements are in the form of shift registers.
 10. The combination defined in claim 8, in which said separate memory unit includes a movable memory member having individual tracks thereon constituting said other memory elements.
 11. The system defined in claim 1 and which includes further logic circuitry included in the aforesaid logic circuitry and which is responsive to selected ones of such identifying fields for selectively changing the bit composition thereof.
 12. The system defined in claim 1, and which includes control circuit means in said logic circuitry and responsive to selected ones of such identifying fields for selectively changing the bit composition thereof.
 13. The system defined in claim 1, in which said multibit binary records are of a selected length, or selected multiples thereof, and in which said system includes logic circuitry responsive to applied command signals for controlling said storage means to respond to such binary records.
 14. The system defined in claim 1 in which said plurality of storage means comprises separate memories through which the records pass and which have different capacities for storing said records; and which includes control circuitry in said logic circuitry for effectively interconnecting selected ones of said separate memories in series in response to applied command signals designating the introduction of multiple length records into the system. 